Twenty-three
THE WORDS DIDN’T make sense to Daria. She did not want to be rescued. What she wanted, with a strength that squeezed the breath from her, was for Jamie to make love to her. Madness. She was filled with madness. She stood on the edge of ruin as it was, but to invite the final push off the cliff?
“Who?” she asked angrily.
“English.” Jamie shoved a hand through his hair. “He knows only that they are English and they’ve come for you.”
Her parents? Of all days, of all moments, they came for her at this moment? She should be overwhelmed with gratitude, happy that she would at last be rescued from her captivity. But she was neither of those things. She was disappointed, recalcitrant, cross. She pressed her palm to her forehead as she tried to gather her thoughts.
This is an omen, she tried to convince herself. An omen that she had gone too far, that she had to stop before she did something she would never recover from.
She lifted her gaze to Jamie’s. His eyes were dark, his demeanor suddenly distant. He knew it, too. “My parents, surely,” she said.
He just held her gaze.
Daria looked at the door. “I can’t . . .” She couldn’t do so many things, she thought wildly. She couldn’t be with Jamie the way she wanted to be with him. She couldn’t linger here, and yet she couldn’t imagine herself beyond this day—
“Come, Daria.” He looked at the table where they had come so close to experiencing what she suspected would have been the most brilliant thing she had ever felt; a tiny shiver ran down her spine just thinking of it. But then he turned his back to it. “Let us discover who has come to rescue you.”
The conflicting swirl of emotions was a nauseating mix in the pit of her belly. She walked stiffly beside Jamie. She thought she should say something, anything meaningful, but she was completely numb.
As they reached the end of the mews, Jamie said, “Daria.”
She stopped and looked into his eyes. She could feel the pull between them, as strong as the moon pulled the tide. His gaze drank her in, his brow furrowed. There was so much she wanted to say—You astonish me time and again, I adore you, I want you, any number of things. But she couldn’t find her tongue.
“I should go,” she whispered.
He pressed his lips together and nodded. His hand slipped from her elbow, and the tide ebbed between them.
She turned away and walked, then ran, to the keep’s entrance, slowing as she rounded the corner and saw the polished black-and-red post chaise coach, and the coachmen standing attentively around it.
That was not her parents’ coach.
Daria walked cautiously forward.
“There you are, Miss Babcock, and looking quite bonny, I say. It would seem Scotland agrees with you, aye?”
Daria whirled around. Captain Robert Mackenzie was standing just outside the small entry to the castle’s keep. He was dressed in a fine coat over an elaborately and richly embroidered waistcoat. His dark hair was combed away from his face and his jaw clean-shaven. He looked different than he had the few times Daria had seen him at Tiber Park. He looked like a wealthy English lord, not a sea captain with a reputation for running blockades.
He pushed away from the wall. “You are a wee bit surprised to see me, aye?”
“Yes—did Charity send you?”
He smiled and the warmth of it, the pleasure in it, was striking. His blue eyes shone as he said, “She didna send me, no. I brought her here. I’d no’ allow her to make a journey into the Highlands alone.”
“Madainn mhath.”
Captain Mackenzie shifted his gaze from Daria to Jamie as the laird strolled into their midst. “Madainn mhath,” the captain answered easily. “Captain Robert Mackenzie at your service, Laird,” he said, and bowed low. “I’ve come to fetch the wee one.”
“Did you think it necessary to bring an army to do it?” Jamie asked, eyeing the men around the chaise.
“One never knows what one will find in the Highlands, aye?” Captain Mackenzie said cheerfully.
“Spoken like a Lowlander,” Jamie muttered. “Come in,” he said, gesturing to the keep.
“Where is Charity?” Daria asked breathlessly.
“She’s just inside, lass. Waiting for you.”
Daria flew past him.
Charity was standing in the middle of the small foyer with Duff and a young woman in a drab traveling grown. Charity was dressed in a lilac gown and coat with a matching bonnet. Her blonde hair was fastened artfully to the back of her head with crystal pins that winked at Daria.
“You came!” Daria exclaimed as she burst into the foyer.
“Of course I came,” Charity said. “How could I allow my dearest friend to be held for ransom?” She held out her arms.
Daria hugged Charity tightly to her. “Thank God you’ve come. I worried no one would ever hear from me again—”
“Nonsense. Had you not come to Edinburgh when I expected, we would have searched for you.” Charity took a step back to study Daria closely. “Hmmm. It seems Mr. Duff is right. He assured us that you were in excellent health, and that you’ve been well treated.”
“I have,” Daria agreed. “My parents—have you sent word?”
“They arrived in Edinburgh only yesterday. They had some . . . financing to arrange,” she said carefully. “But I expect we shall see them any day. One of Mackenzie’s men is waiting to bring them here.” She looked past Daria and smiled.
Daria turned; she hadn’t heard Jamie and Mackenzie enter the foyer. They were conversing in Gaelic, their polite smiles gone.
Mackenzie gestured to Charity and Jamie paused, bowed his head. “Madam.”
“Miss Charity Scott,” Captain Mackenzie said. “The sister of Lord Eberlin of Tiber Park.” And to Charity he said, “Laird Campbell.”
“How do you do,” Charity said, sinking into a graceful curtsy. “I hope you will forgive our unannounced arrival, but my dear friend’s letter made it seem rather urgent.”
Jamie looked at Daria and said, “It was. You are most welcome, Miss Scott. If you will excuse us?” He said something to Mackenzie, and the two of them began to walk down the narrow corridor leading to the throne room.
Charity watched them go and then smiled at Daria. “Captain Mackenzie has graciously offered to negotiate the terms of your release, then we may be on our way.”
Daria felt a physical pain at the mention of leaving. “We can’t leave without Mamie.”
“Of course not. We’ll fetch her straightaway tomorrow.” Charity smiled at Duff in the way she had of smiling at her brother to get what she wanted. “We’ve come such a long way, sir. Is there a place we might rest and talk privately?”
She would not charm Duff, judging by his dark expression. “Never mind, Duff,” Daria said, linking her arm with Charity’s. “I’ll show her around.”
“Lydia, dearest, be a help to Mr. Duff in bringing the bags in,” Charity said to the girl, and if she heard Duff’s grunt of displeasure, she gave no sign of it.
“This way,” Daria said, escorting Charity up to the suite of rooms she’d lived in for more than a fortnight. She was grateful to find it empty and closed the door.
Charity walked into the middle of the suite and looked around. “My. This is rather quaint, isn’t it? Very . . . castleish.”
Daria lost her train of thought for a moment as she looked around, too. She rather liked this room. It was cheerful.
“You seem quite at ease here,” Charity remarked as she tossed her bonnet and gloves onto the chaise and sat beside them. “Perhaps you like being captive,” she said, and arched a brow over a devilish smile.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Charity,” Daria said sternly. “What was I supposed to do, curl into a ball and sob day in and day out? You abandoned me to this fate.” She stalked to the sideboard, poured two tots of barley-bree, and handed one to Charity.
“I didn’t abandon you.” Charity’s second brow rose to meet the first. “What is this?”
“Barley-bree. Some sort of whisky. I know only that it is quite soothing.”
“Oh,” Charity said, and lifted it to her nose. “Do you need to be soothed?”
Daria looked at her friend with astonishment. “Wouldn’t you, if you were held for ransom?”
Charity shrugged. “If I were held for ransom by a man as virile as the laird? I am not certain. Tell me, how in heaven did you come to be held for ransom? Your letter was lacking in details.”
“There were too many to write.” Daria sat next to Charity. She was relieved to be able to speak about it at last to someone she could trust completely. “It is quite a fantastic tale. It began with that wretched coach ride from Nairn.”
“Wretched! The ladies seemed very nice.”
Daria gave Charity a withering look. “They dropped me on the side of a road. The only living being was a dog, who followed me through the forest to Mamie’s cottage.”
“Then you found it easily enough?”
“Oh, I found it,” Daria said, nodding. “A rather charming little cottage in the woods. Nothing around for miles. Well hidden from the road. And Mamie wasn’t there. But do you know who was?”
Charity shook her head.
“An unconscious man. An utterly naked unconscious man.”
Charity blinked. She put aside her glass and leaned forward. “I’m all ears.”
“He’d been shot.” Daria told Charity what had happened then. That Mamie had returned to the cottage and claimed she’d found the poor man. That she didn’t know who he was but had saved him. She told Charity that Mamie had seemed anxious and erratic, and really, a bit mad, but that she’d attributed it to the devastation of finding the man in such a state.
“The man was the laird?” Charity asked, her eyes lighting with delight. “Goodness, Daria! What an education for you!”
“Quite,” Daria said.
“That causes my heart to race—”
“Mine as well.”
“Well? Go on!”
Daria told her how it appeared that Mamie was not trying to save the poor man’s life, but perhaps trying to hasten his end. “She’s mad,” Daria said flatly.
“Or hiding something,” Charity offered.
“That’s precisely what Jamie said,” Daria said thoughtfully.
“Is that indeed what Jamie said?” Charity echoed, nudging Daria with her shoulder.
Daria frowned at Charity. “Your imagination is working far too hard. Every person you see here is a Campbell. It’s impossible to distinguish them if one does not use given names.”
“Or ‘my lord,’ ” Charity said with a shrug.
“Not lord. Laird—” Daria sighed. “May we please return to the reason I am held for ransom?”
“Yes, please do,” Charity said.
Daria told Charity how Mamie had finally admitted that she’d shot Jamie, but quite by accident, and Jamie had accused her of stealing from his addled uncle Hamish. She related how Mamie had adamantly denied it but finally admitted that perhaps she did indeed owe the Campbells money, but she did not have it. Then Jamie had threatened to have the authorities brought round, but had settled on the ransom instead, and brought her here.
“Perhaps she’s gone barmy from living in solitude, do you suppose?” Charity asked.
“I don’t know,” Daria said morosely. “But something is very wrong with her. No one here will believe it, of course.”
“At the very least, Jamie Campbell sounds to be a chivalrous man. That is, taking debutantes for ransom aside.” Charity smiled coyly.
“He is,” Daria agreed. “He’s really been very kind, considering what my grandmother has done to him.”
Charity put her arm around Daria. “Don’t fret, darling. Your parents are on their way, and I am here to help you. Now then, tell me what happened after you came to this charmingly rustic castle.”
Daria thought back to the days she’d been here. “Nothing, really. I taught them to waltz.”
Charity’s face lit with a rare smile. “To waltz?”
“They were not the least bit familiar with it!” She told Charity about the dancing, and how she’d demanded a suitable occupation and made a match for the blacksmith. She told her about Peter, and how eager the lad was to learn. She talked about Geordie, about Bethia and Duffson. About the muffins the cook made her, the dogs who followed her, the children who sang songs about spring.
Charity was rapt, listening to every word, smiling at some things, frowning at others. When Daria had told her everything, Charity studied her for a moment. “You’ve not said a word about the laird.”
Daria averted her gaze. “What is there to say?” She stood up, moving to the sideboard. “He’s to be married soon.”
“Is he? That’s unsettling, as I think you’ve come to esteem him,” Charity said.
“That’s not it at all, Charity,” Daria said impatiently. “You’ve misunderstood me completely.” But maybe it was impossible for anyone to understand her. The Daria who had set foot on that ship so many weeks ago was nowhere to be found.
“I hope I have,” Charity said. Surprised, Daria glanced at her friend. “While he may be a man to be respected and esteemed, he is a Scotsman yet.”
Why did the hair on the back of Daria’s neck stand up? She turned slowly around to face her friend. “What are you trying to say?”
Charity rose. “Only that I hope you have not come to esteem him too greatly. Your future is very bright. But your future is in England.”
“I did not say—”
“No, you said not a word. But I know you rather well, Daria. I see the look in your eye when you speak of him. I would not like to see you compromise your future because of a charming captor.”
Daria couldn’t help but laugh. “Perhaps you should take your own advice. Your feelings for Mackenzie are quite obvious, Charity. Worse, you willingly went off to Edinburgh with him. What do you think that will do for your happy future?”
She regretted the words the moment she’d said them. Charity’s future had been compromised beyond repair years ago, when she’d borne her daughter out of wedlock.
But Charity merely smiled with deep satisfaction. “I may have found my happy future,” she said. “But if I have not, it is hardly the same case, is it? I was never capable of making a great match. But you are, Daria. You could marry a titled man.”
Daria shook her head. “I doubt that is true. I have been kidnapped and held for ransom.”
“But don’t you see?” Charity said, crossing the room to take her hands. “That makes you exciting! The circumstances were beyond your control. One cannot dare to question your character in being kidnapped. When word reaches Hadley Green, you will be quite sought after to tell the tale of your adventure. Women will envy you and men will admire you.”
Daria thought of all the lords in London she had long wanted to attract, but felt no stir of excitement.
“Shall we go and find what Lydia has done with the bags?” Charity asked. “I brought you two new gowns from Edinburgh that are very lovely.”